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From: hwe@beta.UUCP (Skip Egdorf)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Non-Intel Minix?
Message-ID: <5195@beta.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 8-May-87 18:42:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: beta.5195
Posted: Fri May  8 18:42:41 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 9-May-87 21:46:06 EDT
References: <132200005@convexs> <5129@beta.UUCP> <353@hqda-ai.UUCP>
Organization: Los Alamos Natl Lab, Los Alamos, N.M.
Lines: 36
Summary: Gnu C vs ACK

In article <353@hqda-ai.UUCP>, merlin@hqda-ai.UUCP (David S. Hayes) writes:
> In article <5129@beta.UUCP>, hwe@beta.UUCP (Skip Egdorf) writes:
> > I would love to work on porting minix to both 68K and PDP-11.
> > The problem is that when I look at my UniPress price list, and
> > see $10,000 for the Amsterdam Compiler Kit...
> > I believe that a port will require compiler source.
> 
>      There is no need to use the Amsterdam Compiler Kit.  Richard
> Stallman and Len Tower, of Project GNU (recursive: Gnu's not
> Unix), have created the GNU C compiler.
> 
I think that the Gnu C would be a good base for minix in a year or so
when it is not quite so beta testy. Currently, minix hacking is a young
enough sport that I think it should be kept as simple as possible for
the time being. This means not complicating things with a new compiler
as well as new minix ports.

Remember back about 1979-1980 when the first few U**X V7 ports were done??
The general comment when the dust settled on the new port was something
like "The kernal was simple once we got around byte-swapping, but getting
PCC working was a real job...".
Having worked with PCC, I am sure that the Gnu compiler is a much better
engineered product; we have learned a lot about building such compilers
in the last 5 or 10 years. (Nothing WRONG with PCC, it was quite remarkable
for 1978. However the first ANYTHING, let alone a Portable C Compiler, is
seldom the best ever.)

Gnu C is a good suggestion. I intend to watch its progress, play with it,
and hopefully contribute to it. However, given a choice between playing
with Gnu C or playing with a minix port, my personal choice will be to
spend my scarce hobby hacking time on the OS.

Thanks for a good suggestion!
					Skip
					hwe@lanl.gov
					hwe@lanl.uucp